Hindsight
by Skinfull
Summary: Hard to explain...Spoiler for Pilot Episode Like you havent seen it!MSR,Off Camera Scenes.Better Summary at begining of first chapter.FINISHED
1. Default Chapter

            _**Okay we've all seen the deleted scene from the pilot episode where Scully was with  her at the time boyfriend…I was wondering, what if she did have a boyfriend when she started on the X-Files…how would he react with her swanning off to Oregon with Mulder.  This is gonna be a weird format (as usual for me!) so I hope it reads okay.  Basically it's going to be all the "in-between-scenes" scenes.  The off camera stuff.**_

Dana Scully woke slowly to the lazy Sunday morning, batting her eyelids until they would stay open on their own.  A faint aroma of toast and coffee curled around the room and she rolled over to find the rest of the bed warm but empty.  Languidly she climbed out from under the heavy duvet and grabbed his t-shirt from the floor.  She slipped it on over her head letting it fall halfway down her legs coming to just above her knees as she padded out to the kitchen.  He sat on a chair with his bare back to her wearing only a pair of black boxers.

"Oh you're up, I was going to bring you breakfast in bed," he said as she came into the room and circled his chair to sit on his lap.  

"I can always go back to bed," she murmured against his neck between the kisses she trailed over his sensitive skin, brushing her tongue against his morning stubble and nipping sharply on his jaw.

"Careful, I have to give a lecture this morning."

"What? I thought you had the morning off?" she said sitting up and looking into his sheepish face.

"So did I.  Longwell called."

"But Shane it's Sunday morning?"

"I know Dana, I'm sorry but I'm at a crucial point in my career where I need to jump through all the hoops they give me, if I want to gain any advancement.  You understand that, you're a doctor."  
"I know…doesn't mean I have to like it," she conceded.  "Besides I'm an FBI Agent who happens to be medically trained."

"Now you're just showing off," he said grabbing her waist before she could squirm away.

"Actually, I could be a field agent by Tuesday morning."

"Right you're meeting.  Do you think you'll get it?"

"I hope so.  Section Chief Blevins has a very big department and they are all field operatives," she said biting into his half eaten toast.

"So you could be partnered up with another agent?"

"Yes.  Hopefully someone tall dark and handsome."

"No, hopefully someone small fat and sixty!" he joked getting rewarded with a deep throaty laugh.

"It'll be weird working with somebody," she admitted soberly.

"You'll be fine."

"I know but I just don't want to get landed with some throw back from the 50's who think women have their place and it's never far from the sink."

"Don't worry Dana, who ever it is I'm sure you'll win them over."

"Shane you don't get it.  I don't want to win them over.  I shouldn't have to prove myself all the time."

"As much as you hate it you're a female FBI agent, you're going to get treated differently, you're going to meet comments, epically when you look as good as you do," he added reaching out for her.

"Shane stop," she batted his hands away and clambered off him.  "Don't be so flippant."

"I wasn't…" he said as she walked across the room and emptied her now cold coffee into the sink.  "Look I'm sorry but I have to go.  I need to be at the university in an hour and I need to get home to change."

"Okay," she replied as she busied herself with the dishes.

"I'll drop by later and take you out to dinner…make up for skipping out on you today."

"Well actually I need to go and talk with Melissa so I'm not sure when I'll get back."

"Okay, well good luck tomorrow and I'll talk to you…soon."

            She didn't realise he left until she heard the door slamming behind him and turned around to the empty room.  With a deep sigh she crossed the room and picked up the phone dialling her sisters number from memory, she tapped her fingers impatiently on the couch while she waited for her to pick up.

"Hello?"

"Missy, it's Dana."

"Morning sunshine, you're up early.  Shane not there?"

"He just left."

"Oh, ditched you again?" Missy said sensing her sister's angry tone.

"Yeah, pretty much.  I thought we could go shopping.  I need to get a new suit for the interview tomorrow and I just want to get out of the house."

"Great, I'll pick you up in half an hour."

            Dana showered and dressed in record time thanking her navy trained father and brothers for her uncanny knack of getting ready quickly.  Growing up on the base with six family members meant the bathroom was a necessity not a luxury so time was of the essence.  As she combed her hair back from her face the knock came loudly so she rushed over to let Melissa in.

"Morning, ready?" she said as Dana returned to the couch to slip on her shoes.

"Yeah, lets go."

            They wandered the streets of Washington aimlessly, eating ice cream in the unusually warm autumn and window-shopping for clothes neither of them could afford.

"I thought you said you needed a new suit?"

"I do, but I just don't feel like shopping today."

"What time is you're meeting?"

"Half eleven."

"Are you nervous?"

"Kind of.  I really do want to get the field position but I never really worked with a partner before."

"How many people were interviewed for the position?" Melissa asked as they strolled into a café for a break.

"Five.  But I have it on good authority that it's down to me or this other agent from San Francisco."

"Have a little faith Dana.  You worked hard for it, of course you'll get it."

"I wish I could have you're optimism, Missy."

"How bad could it be?"

"I just wish I knew what department I was going to for sure.  It could be narcotics, Violent Crimes…anything."

"Don't they do psychological testing for the violent Crimes section?"

"Eh…yeah they do."

"I saw it on the forensic files last night!" Missy said with a smile.  

            They ordered coffee and cakes and hunched closer as their conversation continued.

"Frankly…I heard that the transfer is for a secret department here in Washington."

"Secret department?"

"Well not secret but not entirely official…something called the X-files."

"What's that?"

"It's something to do with unexplained phenomena."

"Wonders will never cease Dana," Missy said wisely, adding an air of expectation to the table.

"What does that mean?"

"You…a scientist…following paranormal cases?" she said with a smile.  "That I'd like to see."

"Have a little faith Melissa."

            They shared a smile and gratefully accepted their order from the waitress.  Missy stirred some sugar into her coffee as Scully just added milk.

"Who else works on those cases?"

"Just one Agent named Fox Mulder."

"Fox? Spiritual name.  Good sign."

"Well I've never met him but by all accounts he's a little left field."

"It'll do you good to step out of the circle for a while Dana."

"I step out of the circle all the time," she retorted defensively.

"Oh yeah, when was the last time you did something…a little left field?" Missy challenged.

"I…I…used a pint of milk one day after it's sell by date last week!"

"Oh wow Dana, careful, you're threading a thin line there between social and insane!"

            They both laughed loudly sharing the cakes that arrived and watched the day go by lazily, Dana's mind wondering about the _X-Files_ and how she would cope if the rumours were true.  And as for Fox Mulder…_the antithesis of all her ideals and perceptions_ she thought to herself, only half listening to Missy's story.  She shook her head to get rid of the thoughts and sighed. 

_No point worrying about stuff that might never happen_ she thought before focusing fully on her sister and letting the time pass slowly.

***

            Fox Mulder bounded up the stairs taking the steps in two's and three's before he threw the fifth floor door open and made his way down to the forensic lab, a rarely seen smile caressing his lips.  His eyes scanned the small room where he found Danny hunched over a PC, his fingers tapping furiously on the keys.

"Pay up Danny," he called as he crossed the room.

"What?" Danny asked looking up from the screen in time to see the paper Mulder was holding folded onto the sports page with the headline clearly printed across the top.  "KNICKS MAKE MAGIC ON WIZARDS COURT," Mulder said loudly.  "Fifty bucks," he added.

"Aww Mulder have a little pity on a lowly tech huh?" Danny said as he reached for his wallet.

"Double or quits?"

"You want to let it ride?" he said his fingers stalling over the notes.

"I'll let it slide in lieu of some information."

"Information? What kind?" Danny asked warily.

            Mulder grabbed a stool from another table and sat next to him dropping the paper by the PC.  

"Word is I'm getting a partner, who is it?"

"I don't know."

"Come on Danny I know you.  You got a finger in every pie.  Nothing goes on around here without you knowing."

"Mulder I-," he began but Mulder cut off his denial before it could pass his lips."

"Who is it?"

"It's privileged information."

"I wont tell…I promise," Mulder joked.

"Okay…it's down to two candidates.  You didn't hear this from me."

"Of course."

"Rick Gleason, eight year veteran with San Francisco Violent Crimes.  Last two on general assignment."

"Who else?" Mulder pushed.

"Dana Scully, teaching out at the academy at the moment.  Fresh meat."

"She's not a field Agent?"

"No, she's a medically trained Doctor who's been working FBI cases from the lecture room."

"God they are really trying to mess with me," he muttered under his breath as he pushed away from the desk.

"Have some faith Mulder!  It'll all be over on Monday."

"Faith? Yeah."

            He left the lab and went directly to the reference library.  Finding it empty on a Friday afternoon was nothing unusual so Mulder claimed a table and connected to the bureau personnel database.  It wasn't long before he located both Rick Gleason's and Dana Scully's file.  Scanning through them he found Rick to be a standard field agent, nothing spectacular on his record and his case files seemed mundane.  He pulled up his ID and waited for the picture to download.  

            Soon a picture of a middle-aged man appeared on the screen.  Mulder studied the tired face and sighed as he closed Gleason's file and opened up Scully's.

"Lets hope you're not as jaded as Gleason," he muttered as he read through Scully's bio.  He noted her excellence in her medical education and application at the FBI Academy where she was now teaching.  

"Einstein's Twin Paradox: A New Interpretation," he read aloud as he opened her senior thesis.  

            Intrigued he read on and soon the evening passed around him as the glare from the screen cast a blue glow around his face.  As he finished the final pages he sat back into his chair not realising how late it had become he ventured forward through her file.  Her lack of field experience was the only thing that worried him as he opened her ID and waited for her picture to download.

            Her red hair came down to rest on her shoulders and her face was stern but held promise of a hidden passion.  Her lips were held fast in a firm expression but he could see the hint of a smile behind them and he smiled.

"Well, well Dr Scully, aren't we a dark horse."

            He glanced at his watch and saw that it was nearing nine thirty so he switched off the PC and gathered his things.  Leaving the building he drove slowly through the humid night and wondered about Monday and how he'd meet his new partner.  He'd need to go through all the case files in his office and make sure that there was nothing incriminating in them.  

_No sense in making her spying easy for her_, he thought with a chuckle at his assumption that he'd be assigned Dana Scully.  He'd need to get some equipment from the Frohike to see if he can detect any bugs in the office.  He shook his head to rid himself of those thoughts and parked the car outside his flat.  Lying on his couch he watched the TV without interest and planned out the clearing of his office the next day.

"A scientist…this should be fun," he muttered as he pulled the blanket tighter around him and dozed off into the night.  
  



	2. Chapter 2

            Mulder watched her leave through the corner of his eye and waited for the door to close before leaning back into his chair.  He put his elbows on the armrests and twirled the 2H pencil in front of his face letting the smile that had been threatening to spread across his features finally claim his lips.  The meeting replayed in his head and he shook his head at how deliberately obstinate he'd been.  Trying to confuse her with snippets of information, putting the molecular structure on the screen and asking if she could identify it.  

He could almost see the hairs on her neck and arms bristle at his challenge and he admired the determined look in her eyes as she quickly scanned the diagram.  Her reaction to the taunting question about extra terrestrials was everything he expected from her, but the retort that quickly followed both surprised and delighted him.  The idea that she could be more than a simple spy, sent to check up on him like an overgrown babysitter, flashed through his mind and he quickly dismissed it before it could take root.

The day passed by quickly and he found his mind wandering to and from the meting more times than he cared to count.  The image of the last secret smile that played on her lips stuck with him and he couldn't help but return it.  She seemed to be more than a drone that was here to take disparaging notes and comment on his procedures and beliefs.   

Mulder gathered up the casework and took it home.  He soon found himself sitting on the couch with the files spread out around him.  The night before he flew off on a case was usually spent scouring the Internet for relevant information and similar cases or contacting Frohike to make sure he fed his fish, but tonight with the papers on the table in front of him he couldn't help but shake the nagging feeling that something was about to happen.  

            His memory played with her image.  Her smile, her bright inquiring eyes, he small curved mouth as she tried to hide the smile that was tugging on her lips.  Mulder quickly sat up as if the sudden movement would get rid of the thoughts and put the files away before wandering into the kitchen.  He put the cereal bowl into the sink and reached for a beer from the fridge.  Sitting back on the couch he watched his hand as it reached for the phone and dialled her number.  He almost couldn't believe it when he place the set against his ear and waited for her to pick up.  It rang five times and just as he thought it would go to the answering machine she picked up breathlessly followed by a clatter of noise behind her as something dropped.

"Hello?"

"Agent Scully?"

"Yes," she replied recognising the voice immediately.

"It's Mulder.  I just wanted to give you an exact time for the flight tomorrow."

"Okay, go ahead," she said and he could hear her rummaging for a pen and paper.

"Flight number FR332, departing at 8.15am," he said.

"That's fine."

"Will you need a lift to the airport? I could pick you up if you want."

"No, that's okay.  I have to go to the academy in the morning anyway.  I'll meet you at the desk."

"See you tomorrow Scully."

            He quickly hung up and put the phone down onto the couch next to him.  Ideas and notions swirled around his head and he struggled to get rid of them.  The sound of her breathless voice on the phone wasn't one he expected but then he hadn't expected to call her at all.

"She wont be here for long," he said to the empty room as he lay down on the couch but looking up to the ceiling he saw her again.  Closing his eyes she was still there but this time her kept her image and let it float around his mind.  She seemed so intelligent and enjoyed the challenges he threw at her.  Even in their brief meeting he could tell she would work well and be an excellent investigator but just not the type of person he wanted arguing with every move he made and making notes of any mistakes.  He couldn't tell her his theories.  He'd wait and see how she would explain it herself, and then she might understand the type of case he usually took.

"Let's see how your science works out in Oregon Scully," he muttered again as he turned towards the TV and let the late night shows lull him to sleep.

***

            Scully stepped out of the basement office and took the elevator up to the ground floor where she walked through the throng in the FBI lobby.  It was a short drive to the academy not nearly enough time to think about their brief meeting and her mind swirled with parts of the conversation and the taunting tone in his voice.  She walked towards her office in a daze her mind elsewhere and she didn't see Shane standing outside her door until she was almost upon it.

"Shane, what are you doing here?"

"Lovely to see you too Dana!"

"No I mean…I didn't expect to see you," she said as she walked in and he quickly followed.

"I wanted to surprise you and take you out for lunch."

"That sounds…lovely…but I cant," she said not meeting his eyes and shuffling through her desk for her belongings.

"How did your meeting go?" Shane asked ignoring her refusal.

"It went really well.  I got the transfer."

"That's great news," Shane said obviously delighted and he bent over the table for a chaste kiss on her cheek.  "When do you start?"

"I already have.  I'm flying out to Oregon tomorrow morning."

"Oh, for how long?"

"I'm not sure, a couple of days at least.  We should be back by the weekend."

"We? You met your partner then?"

"Eh…yes. Special Agent Fox Mulder."

"_Fox_ Mulder? Strange name."

"Shane don't start," she said angrily.  "Don't try to belittle what I'm doing by attacking it."

"No Dana…I'm sorry."

"Listen Shane I don't have time for lunch, I have too much stuff to do before I leave tomorrow."

"I understand, I'll call you later."

            She watched him walk out of her office before she fell back onto her chair.  A deep sigh escaped passed her lips as she gave her new status a chance to sink in.  But there was no time for indulgences so she gathered as much of her stuff as she could while making frantic calls to get cover for her lectures.  It was nearly seven when she found herself curled up on her sister's couch, holding the Chinese takeout carton up to her chin as she used the chopsticks to eat the rice.

"Couldn't we just use forks?" Dana argued with Melissa who sat at the other end using her chopsticks with ease.

"No. We cant," Melissa replied, laughing at the sight of her usually composed sister struggling to eat.  "So what was he really like?"

"Hmmm?"

"Fox Mulder?"

"He-," Dana Began.

"Dana, I know he studied at Oxford, I know he worked in Violent Crimes, I know he has a psychology degree…but what was he really like?"

"He was fine."

"Dana, come on," Melissa slapped her sister's shoulder making her drop her rice.  "If he mugged you what kind of description would you give to the police?"

"Tall maybe six foot two, green eyes, wide jaw, slight stubble, big hands with slender fingers…he had a small freckle just there," she added pointing to the bottom of her right cheek.

"Wide jaw? Slender fingers? I don't think the police could do much with that information," Melissa teased.

"I was only saying to Shane that I didn't want to be treated differently for being a woman, or for the way I look."

"You're not treating him differently," Melissa said exasperatedly.  "I'm sure you'll show him the same respect you show everyone."

"What does that mean?"

"It means you'll put up this professional front and deny any interest you have in him."

"But I don't-," Dana argued but Melissa carried on regardless.

"And you'll carry on through life with great advancements in your career but ultimately alone."

"Melissa-," she said trying again, but still her sister continued.

"Alone, unless you let go."

"Let go of what?"

"This insane idea that you probably picked up from Bill that emotions are a weakness and any sign of them are a sign of frailty."

"All this from my description of Agent Mulder?" Dana said trying to defuse the situation.

"No, I've known you all my life Dana."

            Dana looked away towards the fire that Melissa had insisted on lighting despite the warm breeze out side.  An image of Mulder popped into her head and he was leaning back against his desk.  His shirtsleeves were folded up to his elbows and the navy tie he wore hung just past his belt emphasising his slim healthy figure and long legs.  His arms were crossed against his chest and he wore a hint of a smile on his lips and a challenging look in his eyes as if he were daring her to prove him wrong.

            Dana didn't stop the smile that curved her lips obviously and she looked away in case her sister caught it but Melissa had already seen it.  She didn't miss the moment of introspection that waved across her sister's face and a faint blush that followed it.  She was sure there was more to this Agent Mulder than her sister was telling.

"Dana?"

"Yeah?"

"What was he really like?" she asked before their eyes met and they both broke into laughter.

            Later as Dana drove home she found her mind wandering again and the unfamiliar bubbling sensation of excitement churned through her body as she let herself in and began to pack.  She was lying half under the bed pulling out the overnight bag when the phone rang.  As she ran to catch it she lunged for the table sure that the person would hang up before she could reach it, she pulled the handset up to her ear knocking over the lamp in the process.

"Hello?" she said cautiously as she looked down to the carpet where the lamp had fallen, taking the small dish of loose change with it.

"Agent Scully?"

 "Yes," she replied recognising the voice immediately.

"It's Mulder.  I just wanted to give you an exact time for the flight tomorrow."

"Okay, go ahead," she said as she rummaged through the mess for a pen and a piece of paper.

"Flight number FR332, departing at 8.15am," he said.

"That's fine," she said pulling the Chinese menu from the holder and writing across the back of it.

"Will you need a lift to the airport? I could pick you up if you want."

"No, that's okay.  I have to go to the academy in the morning anyway.  I'll meet you at the desk."

"See you tomorrow Scully."

            He hung up before she had a chance to say goodbye but she just put the phone down and bent to pick up the lamp and spilled coins.  Glancing at the clock she saw that it was nearing midnight and she wondered briefly what made him call so late.  She checked the answering machine and noticed she hadn't missed any calls so this was the first time he called her.  Shrugging she wandered back to the bedroom and continued packing.  

_This assignment was going to be unusual to say the least_, she thought.  _But it will definitely be interesting._

_** I just wanted to say about the medically trained doctor…I meant that as opposed to being a surgical, orthopaedic or orthodontist…but I admit it does sound kinda weird though!!! **_


	3. Chapter 3

            Scully sat on the bed with her laptop open in front of her.  The motel Mulder had picked was cheap and far from cheerful but it seemed to be the best the town of Bellefleur had to offer.  The small tape player played the observations she'd made at the autopsy earlier on and yet her head still spun from the simple notes she'd made.  Glancing at the implant on the bedside locker she shook her head slowly as she continued to type her reports.  

            She reached over to stop the tape as the words sped past her fingers and she used the break in typing to reach for the implant.  Even though it was her own voice describing what she found in the coffin and then in the corpse she still found it hard to believe.  She couldn't substantiate Mulder's claim that it was an alien and it would be the next day before the results came back from the local FBI Lab.  Which in itself was over 80miles away.  Sighing she was about to turn back to her work when a soft but insistent knock came to the door.

"Who is it?" she called glancing at the thin excuse for a door.

"Stephan Spielberg," came the quick reply.

            Smiling she clambered of the door and walked over to the door where she opened it to find Mulder dressed in sweats with a blue baseball cap on backwards holding his unruly hair in place.

"I'm way to wired, I'm going for a run," he said shifting his weight from foot to foot.  She could almost see the energy bubbling in him.  "You wanna come?" he asked with a tilt in his head and a quirk in his eyebrow.

"Pass," she said thinking of the unwritten report waiting for her on her laptop.

"You figure out what that thing up Ray Somes nose was yet?"

"No," she admitted through a yawn.  "And I'm not going to lose any sleep over it."

            She caught the small smile that caressed his lips as she closed the door and walked back to bed.  Looking at the X-Rays against the light shade her mind boggled with the possibilities, tainted with the theories Mulder had sprouted earlier after they developed the pictures she stared in wonderment at them, unable to take her eyes off them.

            Seeing the look of excitement in his eyes as he stood by the door she wondered how he coped with the cases on his own, when he had no one to share his passion with or to banter his theories with.  Maybe it was a lonely life for him out on the road with his cases that no body else wanted.  But with further reflection she imagined it was a lonely life for him in the bowels of the FBI building.

            She slapped her laptop shut and left it next to her suitcase as she pulled off her clothes and slipped into a cool pair of navy silk pyjamas.  Growing up with older brothers had taught her nothing if not to dress for bed and be prepared to bolt out of it when ordered.  Climbing between the sheets she emitted a small shiver and settled into the warm spot she had created by sitting on it earlier.

            She listened to the soft patter of the rain on the window and wondered what Mulder was thinking about as he ran the wet streets.  It hadn't gone past her that he was calling her by her surname and constantly referred to himself by his own surname clearly uncomfortable with the familiar use of his own unusual first name.  She smiled as she imagined the fresh theories he's bring to her in the morning and she reached over to grab the phone.  Shane's number was dialled and she settled back against the pillow to talk to him.  The phone rang, three, four and then five times before the answering machine kicked in with a short concise messages asking for a return number.

"Hi Shane, it's just me.  I'm staying at the Lock Inn in Bellefleur.  I'll call you tomorrow."

            Replacing the handset with a tired sigh she switched off the light and snuggled back into the bed to let the sleep that had been threatening her eyes finally claim it's rightful place and lull her into a restful sleep.

***

            Mulder's feet pounded the path with a rhythm he could feel in his heart as his blood pumped furiously through his body.  So much stuff had happened so quickly, so many leads and finally a tangible piece of evidence.

            He thought of the implant Scully had found in the corpse that was in the coffin.  She still wouldn't admit to what the body was claiming it to be a monkey.  He chuckled aloud again at that one as he crossed the street and reached an arm up to wipe his brow.  

            He usually ran to free his mind, to escape the thoughts that constantly bombarded him but running mow into the soft rain all he could see was her face when she pulled out the implant.  He couldn't even imagine what was going on in her head. What scientific theories she was formulating to explain how the piece of metal had gotten into the corpse.  Not to mention that what they found in the coffin wasn't even the body they expected.

            Soon the rain fell harder and he turned back towards the motel inviting the rain to cool him down as he ran faster, sprinted the final distance.  He met the motel with a smile delighted to be back and ready to collapse into the shower and into bed.  As he fished the door key out of his pocket he spotted a sliver of light shining from underneath her door.  A quick glance at his watch told him it was 12.30 and he wondered briefly what was keeping her up.  But as he took a step closer and began to raise his hand to knock tentatively the light disappeared and her room plunged into darkness.  He shrugged and turned back to his own room, throwing his clothes to the floor as he made his way to the bathroom.  His shower was quick and cool and he soon found himself lying stretched out on the bed, the TV flickering a bad movie into the room.

_But Mulder it's not possible, how could an alien corpse get into a buried coffin in the town cemetery!_ he could hear her voice say and he smiled.

_Same way an orang-utan corpse gets in Scully!_ He retorted.

            He had to admit that he was enjoying the banter.  The respectful way she argued his theories back at him using his own words against him and he was sure he caught more than a few smiles throughout the day.  Falling onto the bed throwing the towels to the floor on top of his clothes, he let his eyes droop and the images play across his lids as he fell into a restless sleep.

**Sorry it's so short.  Just setting the scene. You'll defiantly need to have seen the pilot episode for this fic to make sense.  It's going to jump around a lot.**


	4. Chapter 4

            The downpour rained heavily on her face making her blink the drops away so she could see his face clearly.  Looking down to the large red X he had painted on the road earlier that day she tore her eyes back up to his and she saw the cogs turning his thoughts making him believe what he saw, what he felt.

"No, wait a minute.  You're saying that…that time disappeared.  Time can't just disappear.  It's…it's a universal invariant!" she called loudly to be heard over the rain.  But before Mulder could reply the headlights from the car switched on followed by the dull roar of the engine.  Mulder smiled broadly at her.

"Not in this zip code," he said before running back to the car.  

            With a quick glance back to the red X she ran after him standing by his side as he fumbled with the equipment case he had left in the boot.  When he found what he was looking for he dashed back to the X and started to hold the small black object out into the air pointing it in all directions before pulling it closer to his face to scan it's readouts.  She stood silently by his side and watched hi, her mouth slightly open and her hair stuck to her face as the rain pounded it to head.

"Okay Scully, Lets get out of this rain," he said as he slipped his arm around her shoulders and ushered her back to the car and into the passenger seat.  She remained silent for the journey and said nothing as they parted ways to go to their separate rooms.

            Mulder closed his door behind him leaning back on it to shut it firmly.  With a low chuckle he stripped of his shirt and jumper, peeling them off his back where they clung tightly with rain.  Undoing hid jeans he slowly pulled them down his legs and stepped out of them and his boxers leaving a trail of sodden clothes lead to the bathroom.  After a quick shower he patted his body dry and lay onto the bed to tired, to ecstatic to dress but too cold not to.

            He looked at his watch and smiled at the thought of nine minutes.  Nine missing minutes.  He knew she didn't believe him but he could still see his watch so clearly.  As he dressed he could just imagine her sitting at her laptop disparaging all his thoughts and ideas and he couldn't understand her disbelief when she had been sitting next to him, sharing the moment, savouring the taste of the fear and excitement, feeling the heat of the white light and the loss of power in the car.

            But suddenly as the room plunged into darkness his thought halted as Mulder bolted from the bed to grab his gun only to catch his feet in the clothes he'd dropped earlier and fall to the floor landing against the rough carpet on his face.  Cursing he pulled his legs free and walked to the window where he saw the whole building was down and the rain was falling even heavier now than before.  He smiled a little at his momentary panic and bent to gather the wet clothes.  He draped them over the radiators and searched the room for some candles.  In a small box at the bottom of the wardrobe he found two large thick candles and a hotel branded box of matches.

"How convenient," he muttered as he carried them back to the bed and lit one and placed it on the locker beside him.  But as he was about to drop the other on the table by the window there was an urgent knock on the door.  Expecting to see the Manager with a torch and an apology, he wasn't prepared for the sight of his new partner clad in only a cotton red robe, glancing at him worriedly with a visible tremble shaking her small body.

"Hi," he stammered through his shock.

"I want you to look at something," she said, both of her hands holding her robe like a lifeline.

"Come on in," he said standing back from the door to let her out of the harsh weather.

            She took a few steps into the room and half turned away from him.  He closed the door after her shutting them into a silent cocoon where her tension was amplified.  With only a momentary hesitation she uttered a silent prayer and undid her robe.  Showing him her bareback she tossed her hair over her shoulder and looked down her back to what she was here to show him.  For a moment Mulder froze.  The sight of so much her creamy skin shocked him and it was a few seconds before he took a tentative step towards her.  Catching her scared glance he let his eyes wander down the expanse of her back and held the candle closer to get a better look.  He followed his eyes and lowered his body to see the small red spots that had risen on the bottom of her back just above her underwear.  

"What are they?" she asked unable to keep the quiver from her voice.  "What are they?"

            Although he could tell they were only mosquito bites he couldn't resist the urge he felt to touch her skin and let himself know if it was a soft as he was imagining.  Slowly his lifted his hand and gently touched his fingertips to her lower back just below the three little bites.  He could feel her little twitch as his fingers made contact and he held back the small smile.  A wave of pleasure washed over him so he tore his hand away before they could probe further.

"Mosquito bites," he said as he stood up letting his eyes pour over her back while it stood in front o f him.

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah, I got eaten up myself out there."

            She gasped with relief and in one fluid motion she pulled her robe tightly around her and turned into his chest leaning heavily against him making him stumble back a step.  

"You okay?" he asked as his hand carefully touched her, patting her softly in an awkward attempt at a hug.  It had been a long time since he had been at the receiving end of an embrace and he and all but forgotten how to react.

"Yes."  She pulled away from him and tightened her robe, embarrassed now at her actions, at her panic and fear.

"You're shaking," he said plainly shocked at her reactions, at her trust in him and her need for little comfort.

"I need to sit down."

"Take your time," he said as he took a seat opposite her and watched her carefully.

            They sat in silence for a few minute as Scully let her breathing calm down and her embarrassment fade.  She felt a new blush forcing its way across her body and face and looked down to her lap to hid it from him.

"I'm sorry," she said with a little smile as she tried to lighten the tension.

"Forget about it Scully, I'd have done the exact same thing," he admitted.  "Although my robe would have been a bit more manly."  She smiled at his joke and relaxed back into the chair with a sigh.

"So this is all in the day of Agent Mulder?"

"No I hardly ever get a beautiful woman pulling her clothes off in my motel room," he jibed before he could stop himself.

"I mean the case," she managed through her blush.

"Oh right.  Well not really," he said shifting his weight on the chair and stretched his legs out in front of her. "I see the pattern of an X file but I rarely get to have the evidence we've collected."

"Evidence?" she said clearly confused.

"The X-Rays, the implant, the missing time..." he argued as if it were plainly obvious.

"Mulder I hardly think they could be classed as evidence."

"Why not? An implant in a nasal cavity in a body we found in the cemetery?"

"Not a human body."

"That's what I've been saying all along!" he said smiling.

"I mean it's mammalian-," she began but before she could continue a branch knocked against the window making her jump.

"You okay?" he said from her side, taking her hands and leading her over to the bed while he made sure the window wasn't about to be smashed in.  Taking the candle from the table he put it on the carpet next to the bed and slid down along it's edge o sit on the floor and rest his head back onto the soft covers.

"I've never worked well with partners," he admitted frankly without looking at her.

"That's okay, most of the people I've worked with are already dead."

            He let out a low chuckle that quickly escalated into a throaty laugh.

"So why did you join the FBI Dr. Scully?"

"My father is a captain in the Navy and both of my brothers are now officers.  So I guess I had to distinguish myself too."

"Big catholic family," he said glancing at the cross around her neck.

"I have a sister too.  But we're nothing alike."

"No?"  
"She grew up the way little girls were supposed to, with dresses and dreams."

"You had no dreams Scully?"

"I guess I did but they were more along the lines of _why cant I fight better_ or _why cant I throw a curve ball_."  He offered a soft chuckle at her awkward admission and she smiled in return.

"My sister was like that.  Always at me to teach her how to throw a curve ball or shoot hoops."

            Scully didn't miss the down turn in his voice or the past tense he spoke in.

"Well I'm sure she turned fine like me," she said lightly trying to ease the mood.

"I don't know," he said looking down to his hands as the fumbled together on his outstretched legs.

"I was twelve when it happened.  My sister was eight," his voice was low and Scully felt her chest constricting at the pain he clearly felt at the wound that was still so obviously raw.  "She disappeared out of her bed…just gone. No note, no phone calls, no evidence of anything."

"You never found her," she said more of a statement then a question.

"Tore the family apart.  No one would talk about it," he admitted and he suddenly noticed how his voice sounded so distant as if he were listening to it through a wall.  He couldn't bring himself to look at her and part of his mind was screaming.  Wanting to know why he was sharing this information with her, a stranger, _worse_ he thought, _a spy._

"There was no facts to confirm, nothing to offer any hope," he continued ignoring his own internal protests.

"What did you do?"

"Eventually I went off to school in England, I came back and got recruited by the bureau.  Seems I had a natural aptitude for applying behaviour models to criminal cases," he said with a shrug.  "My success allowed me a certain freedom to pursue my own interests.  And that's when I came across the X Files."

            As he finished speaking he turned to face her expecting to see a scoff or a smirk, but she sat staring at him intently, leaning up on her elbow with the blanket turned over the legs to offer what little comfort it could.  And in her eyes he saw only interest and concern.

"By accident?"  
"At first it looked like a garbage dump for UFO sightings, alien abduction reports, the kind of stuff that most people laugh at as ridiculous.  But I was fascinated."

            As he spoke she could see the ignition in his eyes as they lit up with a passion she could almost feel in the air around him.  His face moved with his words and his greens eyes brightened in the dim room.

"I read all the cases I could get my hands on, hundreds of them.  I read everything I could about paranormal phenomenon, about the occult and…"

            His voice trailed off and his eyes left her loosing some of their light as the moved.

"What?" she urged him to continue.

"There's classified government information I've been trying to access, but someone has been blocking my attempts to get at it."

"Who?" she asked sitting up a bit more.  "I don't understand."

"Someone at a higher level of power.  The only reason I've been allowed to continue with my work is because I've made connections in congress."

"And they're afraid of what? That…that you'll leak that information?"

"You're part of that agenda, you know that."  His voice was flat as he looked at her sideways trying to gauge her reaction.

"I'm not part of any agenda.  You're got to trust me.  I'm here just like you to solve this case."

            He seemed to mull this over for a second before twisting his body and kneeling closer to her holding himself on to the bed with folded arms.

"I'm telling you this Scully because you need to know, because of what you've seen.  In my research, I've worked closely with a man named Dr. Heitz Werber and he's taken me through deep regression hypnosis.  I've been able to go into my won repressed memories to the night my sister disappeared." His voice was thick with tension and the words spilled out quicker than he could almost manage.  "I can recall a bright light outside and a presence in the room.  I was paralysed, unable to respond to my sister's calls for help."

            He leaned closer still their faces close enough to feel the stifled breath that passed between them.

"Listen to me Scully," he urged his voice and eye pleading with her to believe him.  "This thing exists."

"But how do you know…"

"The government knows about it, and I got to know what they're protecting.  Nothing else matters to me and this is as close as I've ever gotten to it."

            Their momentary silence was cut in half by the shrill ring of the phone.  Mulder looked into her eyes for a second longer before reaching for the handset.

"Hello?…what? Who is this? Who is-," he said confusion in his voice as he hung up and frowned looking at her.  "That was some woman…she just said Peggy O'Dell was dead."

"The girl in the wheel chair?"

"Yeah," he said standing already and searching for his jacket.

"I'll go and change," she said climbing off the bed and throwing the blanket back to the bed.  With a small glance back to him she left the room with a little blush and went to dress.

"Don't change on my account," he muttered under his breath as the door closer over and her shadow passed by the window.

**I always wondered how they got from the table to the bed and what led the conversation Mulder's sister when it's obviously a topic he hides from most people…well now we can all sleep soundly at night…coz now we know! SIGH**


	5. Chapter 5

            She climbed into the passenger seat and quickly fastened her seat belt before taking a deep breath and glancing over to him.  He sat with one hand on the wheel and his body half turned towards her as he watched her intently.

"Are you okay Scully?"

"I'm fine."

"You seem a little…shocked." He reached one of his hands up to his forehead to wipe away the wet rain that clung to his skin, threatening to spill over his eyes.

"It's all so…science fiction but it makes sense."

"Two more empty graves…they've got to be hiding something."

"But Billy Miles has been in that comatose state for nearly four years."

"I'm not sure I can explain it exactly Scully," he admitted as he pulled away from the graveyard and onto the road.  "But something is a foot in Bellefleur."

            The short journey to the motel was silent as they both pondered their individual l thoughts.  Mulder could almost feel her struggle and caught the small shakes of her head as she went over and over the information in her head, still trying to grasp the meaning and logic of it all.

"Scully, one thing I've learned on the X-Files is I have to trust my instincts," he said as he pulled into the car park.  "You can see all the pieces now just let them fall into place."

"Mulder my instincts are telling me that…that some supernatural forces are summoning those kids into the forest for some kind of experimentation."

"Okay so if you won't trust your own instincts…will you trust mine?" he argued as they left the car and went to the reception to sort out the new rooms.

"What are they telling you Mulder?" she said with a half smile and he was amazed at how quickly she had started to anticipate his jokes.

"That we should relax for the evening and enjoy a meal in relative normality…with no mention of extraterrestrial activities…I promise!" he added as he signed for two more rooms and handed her the new key.

"Okay, let me get some more dry clothes."

"Come round to…" he checked the key number, "213 when you're ready."

            They parted ways and he closed the door with a thud behind him.  As he discarded his clothes he noticed the manager had let his baggage on the bed beside a small fruit basket with an apology card.  Smiling Mulder grabbed an apple as rummaged through his case for another pair of jeans and a dark blue long sleeve.  He was just fitting on his socks when the small knock came to the door.

"If that's you Scully come in," he called as he reached for his boots.  "If it's not, go away."

            He turned at the sound of the door scraping the carpet and saw her standing just inside its frame.

"Only me."

"I'm just tying my laces. Should we order in or venture out with the locals?"

"Let's go out, I think I've seen all of this motel I want to."

            He finished with his laces and stood as she turned to go out the door and over to the car.  She climbed into the passenger seat without a second thought loving the opportunity of being driven.  She was usually abhorrent to the chauvinistic mentality in most men she met, but Mulder seemed to react to her as if it were natural to open doors for her, allow her to enter rooms first and more than once she had felt his hand lightly touching her lower back as if dancing with her across a room and leading her in the right direction.

"I saw a lovely place just of the interstate," he said as he stepped into the car and fastened his belt with a smile in her direction.

            As he drove through the small town and she watched out the windows a comfortable silence enveloped them and neither of them made an effort to break it.  He nudged her with his elbow and pointed with his head out the window.  Glancing at her reaction he delighted in the crack of a smile that broke through her lips.

"Big Ronnie's Steakhouse?" she said her voice full of mirth.

"Nothing like a plate of red meat to make you feel alive," he said, as he pulled off the main road and onto a dirt track that lead to the restaurant.

"And soon dead."

"You're not a vegetarian are you? " he said in mock horror.

"Oh god no," she said laughing.

"Great," he said unlatching his seat belt and hers.  "Let's go."

            The restaurant was loud and crowded, a noise level that stung upon first entry but as they were walked through the large tables they slowly became accustomed to it and as they sat down it was hardly noticeable.

"Just your kinda place Mulder?"

"I love it.  God bless the man who invented meat," he said with a laugh as he looked down to scan the menu.

            After she chose she placed the menu onto the table and glanced around the room.  As much as she tried to relax she couldn't help but run through all that had happened that night.  The fire, Peggy O'Dell, Detective Miles and finally the empty graves.  It was so much and as they pieced the clues together everything did point to Billy Miles.

            Mulder watched her over the rim of his menu and noticed how her hair had curled from the rain and heat, and her face was all but free of make up save for a light brush of lipstick across her lips.  He could see her eyes and the clouded confusion that floated in them and he wondered how she was coping.  Even he had to admit that the case was intense for her first one.

"So what are you gonna have?" he asked determined not to answer the questioning look in her eyes and delve into the depths of the case with her over dinner.

"Steak…big steak."

"I love a woman who loves her meat," he said laughing and held up his glass for her to _clink_ to. She smiled another enigmatic smile and touched her glass to his before they both took a sip.

"Mulder I want to talk to you about the case," she said after the waiter had taken their order and removed the menus.

"I thought we were going to forget it for tonight."

"I cant, I cant substantiate the notion of-," she began.

"Of Alien technology in our lives being used to manipulate a boy who been residing in a medical coma for four years?"

"Mulder we don't know where that implant came from."

"Which is wore Scully? Aliens manipulating the children or our own government?"

            She spluttered on her water and looked up at him intently.

"The government? Where did that come from?"

"Okay lets just suppose that the implant is man made…who do you think would have the power to infiltrate such an operation and cover it up when it's through?"

"But-."

"This is not a one man operation.  We're talking about six kids…being controlled by the _forest_," he said making air quotes with his fingers as his eyes stared into hers and never left.  "Which do you believe?"

***

            Scully charged ahead of him down the hospital corridor the excitement in her blood bubbled causing unfamiliar sensations as she saw the cautious gleam in his eye.

"This kid may have killed Peggy O'Dell.  I don't believe this," she admitted her mind still obviously racked with conflict.

"Scully…" Mulder said as he caught up with her.

"It's crazy! He was in the woods."

"You're sure?" Mulder countered needing to hear her say it, needing her to hear it.

"This is the same stuff that I took a handful off in the forest," she argued back holding up the small vial of dirt she had just scraped off Billy Miles' foot.

"Okay then, maybe we should take it out and run a lab test."

"We lost the original sample in the fire.  What else could it be?" she asked incredulously stopping in her tracks and making his take a step back to rejoin her.

"Alright, but I just want you to understand what it is you're saying."

"You said it yourself," she said back to him unable to believe his scepticism.

"Yeah…but you have to write it down in tour report," he said quietly letting the words sink in and have the affect he knew they would.  She visible calmed down as the words broke through her initial excitement and she searched for the right words.

"You're right.  We'll take another sample from the forest…and run a comparison before we do anything."

            She started to walk again and Mulder followed her silently, careful not to tread on her thoughts.  But as they reached the car her mobile rang loudly.  She didn't seem to notice the noise until Mulder touched her shoulder and pointed to her pocket.  Fumbling into her pocket she switched it on and held it up to her ear.

"Scully," she answered curtly her mind elsewhere.

"Dana, it's Shane."

"Oh...hi," she said glancing up to see Mulder climbing into the car as he afforded the what little privacy she could.

"It's been a while since you called.  Is everything okay?"

"I've just been really busy, actually Shane I can't talk right now."

"Dana, I just wanted to call and say hi, you know…talk to my girlfriend."

"I can't right now, I'm in the middle of a case."

"A case? Doing what?" he asked angrily.

"Shane…goodbye," she said and hung the phone up as she opened the car door.

            Mulder noticed the mood she wore as she buckled in beside him and he chose not to ask about the phone call that obviously instigated it.  She chose not to offer the information so they drove back to the motel in silence.  By the time they changed and met back at the car it was dark.  A light rain had begun to fall and Mulder felt the chill.  A shiver of exhilaration shimmered down his back and he glanced at Scully unable to hide the smile he was wearing only to see a hint of it on her lips.

"I sent the sample from Billy to the lab already," she said as they pulled out into the street.

"And we'll get another one now.  You still have the implant right?"

"Yes.  It's all that's left," she said fishing it out of her pocket and showing him.  

"So after we get the sample from the forest, we'll get it tested and then we'll have to talk to Detective Miles."

"We might need to get a warrant…it wont be easy."

"Welcome to the X-files Scully!" he said with a laugh as he pulled onto the forestry road.

** I know it's quite hard to follow but I think it reads okay.  I could probably put in a few more chapters in between but too much will cloud it over…I think so anyway!  Hope you think so too! ** 


	6. Chapter 6

"Down on the ground, NOW," Detective Miles shouted at Mulder who backed up a little at the sight of the shotgun in his hands.

"You know its Billy, you've known all along."

"I said down on the ground," the detective said this time cocking his shotgun to show Mulder he was serious.  Mulder slowly knelt into the ground feeling the wet surface soak through his trousers immediately.

"How long are you gonna let it happen?" he shouted up trying not to look at the large barrel of the large gun but suddenly a woman's scream curled around them both making them look into the forest from where it came.

"He's gonna kill her," Mulder yelled.

            Detective miles looked down at Mulder for a second before bolting away running in the direction of the scream with Mulder scrambling to his feet and following closely.  All Mulder could see was the bouncing light of the other mans torch until he ran into the clearing in tie to see Billy Miles lifting Theresa Newman's still body off the ground.  A thick and fast wind swirled around them carrying leaves into the air around them and Mulder saw the detective pull the shotgun on his own son.  He shouted something but Mulder couldn't make it out so he lunged forward tackling him to the ground, making sure the gun was aimed at the forest floor.

            Looking up he saw Billy hold Theresa close to his body as he stared up to a light that engulfed them both.  Mulder noticed the two red marks on Billy's lower back and struggled to keep Detective Miles still beneath him as the light intensified so much he had to look away, shutting his eyes tight and burying his face into the crook of his arm.  When he could feel the wind die down he risked opening his eyes only to see Billy standing in the clearing, confused and disorientated, with Theresa by his feet.

            Detective Miles pushed Mulder off him and rushed over to his son embracing him into a tight hug twisting him round and Mulder saw that the marks had disappeared.  Theresa groaned and grabbed her head as she struggled to sit up and it was just then that Mulder realised Scully wasn't by his side.

"Scully!" he breathed as he grabbed his torch from the ground and ran back into the direction he came.  He caught sight of her torch and called out her name again, running up to her breathless from excitement rather than the run.

"Mulder!" she said as she approached him.  "What happened? There was a light?" 

"It was incredible," he said his voice thick with emotion as he grasped her elbow and felt her fingers close around his arm too.  He needed to touch her, to know she was real to know what happened was real

            She watched his face display a full array of emotions clearly before he focused on her and noticed the small cut on her forehead where the butt of the gun had connected.

"You okay?" he asked reaching up to touch it but she ducked away from his fingers.

"I'm fine, what happened out there?"

"It was Billy!" he said gripping her arm and pulling her back towards the clearing where they found father and son helping Theresa to stand.  Scully rushed over as her medical training kicked in and performed a cursory exam as Detective Miles approached Mulder.

"I know you have questions but I need to get these kids to a hospital and then…home," he said almost daring Mulder to challenge him.

"I understand.  We'll be in touch."

            They all walked back to the cars and Mulder helped Theresa into the back seat and returned to Scully, who was leaning on the bonnet of their rental as they watched the other car pull away.

"So what did happen out there Mulder?" she asked again realising that he still hadn't given her a straight answer.

"It was amazing Scully," he began as they both climbed into the car.   He didn't fasten his belt and instead turned to face her fully using his hands animatedly as he told he all that he saw and felt in the clearing.  Her head began to shake slowly in amazement as she listened to him hearing the delight and passion in his voice that she knew was clouding his judgement, making him highlight different parts of his experience.

            When he finished talking she sighed and leaned back into the chair with her eyes closed.  He looked at her for a moment wondering if she believed him, needing to hear her say it but knowing she wouldn't, or couldn't. So instead he pulled the car away from the forest road and drove back to the motel.  

"You should have let me take you to the emergency room," he said as they stepped into the motel forecourt.  He took her arm and guided her into a well-lit area and with a hand either side of her face he tilted her head back and to the side to get a better look at the cut on her forehead.

"I'm fine Mulder, I'll clean it up in my room."

"Thumping head I'd bet," he said smiling a little.

"Like you wouldn't believe," she muttered as her eyes fluttered closed.

"I've been hit with more than a few gun handles," he said as he released her head and stepped away from her returning her personal space and backing up to his motel door.

"Goodnight Scully."

"Goodnight Mulder," she replied stepping past the door and closing it firmly behind her.

***

            She walked out of Section Chief Blevins office and tried to calm her beating heart when she noticed a tall man walking towards her.  He avoided her gaze and continued straight ahead past her and she turned to see him enter the office she had just left.  Her mind burst with duplicity and the ramifications her reports would have as she took the elevator to the basement office where she found Mulder with his head bent to a microscope.

"Mulder," she said as she walked into the room but he called her over and waved his arm motioning for her to join him, all the while his head didn't move from the scope.

"Look at this," he said obviously pleased with himself as he leaned back enough for her to look down into what he had been studying.  She curled her hair behind her ears to keep it off her face and put her eyes next to the lens.

"What is it?"

"It's a piece of the implant."

"Did the lab come through with something?" she asked looking up with a glimmer of hope that her report mightn't be as inconclusive as she thought.

"No, but I wanted to send a piece out to…another lab."

"Another lab? A better lab than the FBI forensics lab?" she questioned, but the twinkle in his eye and the quirk in his eyebrow told her not to press the issue. "Don't ask, don't lie."

"Something like that."

            She smiled with a little shake of her head as if she expected nothing less from him and turned to lean back on the counter.

"So how did your report go?"

"It sunk like a 1920's cruise ship."

            He couldn't help but smile at her analogy and wondered not for the first time if they had sent him the right Agent.

"That good?"

"Mulder I think I just managed to destroy my whole scientific reputation in one sitting.  They read my report but they didn't like it."

"They never do, you'll get used to that."

"Mulder, _I_ didn't like it," she argued.  "It was personal, subjective and had partial second hand accounts."

"Just like an X-File."

            She pushed a rush of air past her lips and let him know exactly how she felt with one simple gesture. 

"Well, it was only my first case…maybe we'll get the next one?"

"Maybe Scully, maybe," he said turning back to the scope.

"You're staying late?"

"Yeah, I have to contact the…technician and get this over to the lab.  See you tomorrow."

            He waited until she left the room and even held his breath to listen for the soft ding from the elevator before he wheeled his chair over to his desk and reached for his phone.

"Frohike, it's me, you taping?" he said when the ringing stopped.

"No, you?"

"No."

"How was Oregon?"

"Wet…but worth it."

"You got something?" Frohike asked a lilt turning his voice a bit more excited than when he answered.

"An implant. Labs here can't identify it."

"Well I'm not surprised.  Those labs couldn't identify something if you labelled it with neon signs," Frohike said with a laugh and Mulder heard another voice laughing with Frohike.

"Will you take a look at it?"

"Sure, bring it over."

"I'll be there in an hour or so."

"How about your new partner? How's it working out?"

"She's fine," Mulder said neutrally, knowing that Frohike would cling to the mention of Scully's gender rather than probe him for credentials.

"She?"

"Yes. Special Agent Dana Scully."

"What's she like?"

"She's…puzzling…I'm not sure how to take her," he admitted frankly.

"What do you mean?"

"I dunno Frohike, one minute she's tearing my theory apart and the next she's agreeing with me and joining the pieces herself."

"Sound like she'll make a good investigator."

"No doubt about that."

"Is she tasty?"

"Eh…I…"

"Sounds like you got a hottie on your hands Mulder, Got any pictures?"

"No Frohike, just the implant."

"See you soon."

            Mulder hung up and searched his case file for the District Attorney number in Oregon all the while smiling at Frohike's words and wondering how Scully would take to a meeting with the Lone Gunmen.

***

            Scully welcomed the silence that met her when she closed and locked her apartment door for the night.  The rain seemed to have followed them from Oregon and she quickly changed into her nightclothes while she waited for the kettle to boil.  She sipped her sweet tea and watched the evening news without paying attention as her mind ran through the events of the past month.

            Ever since she opened that basement office for the first time her life had been thrown upside down.  Travelling to Oregon on a moments notice, working a case in the field, handing in a report with inconclusive and unsupportable aspects.  It was all so unpredictable.  So un-her.  Her smile broadened as she thought of the hours of banter she shared with Mulder on the flight back and everyday in the office since; as she went through her report with him in the hope to explain some of her experience.  But her lips met again at the uninvited knocking on her door.   She walked over and spied Shane standing on the other side through the peephole, so with a sigh she fixed a smile on her face and opened the door for him.

"Hey Dana," he said sheepishly.

"Come in.  Do you want a drink?" she asked as she walked in after him and joined him on the couch, making sure to leave enough room between them.

"No thanks, I'm fine," he said not missing the distance she saved.

            They hardly spoke when she was away on the case and she had been so busy working late most evenings with Mulder that she had only managed to see him once since she got back and something was missing.  Only she knew where it was.  It waited for her, lurking in the basement hall of the FBI building downtown.  Waiting to give her the flutter of excitement that she was quickly becoming used to.  The tremor of pleasure that greeted her every morning for the past two weeks as she walked into the office and was met with Mulder's sideways smile.

"What's wrong Dana?" Shane asked suddenly breaking into her reverie.

"Wrong? I guess it's us," she admitted putting her tea down and looking up to meet his eyes and frown.

"Us? Dana I haven't seen you in over a week.  We hardly speak any more…I wasn't sure if there was an _us_ anymore," he argued heatedly.

"I think that's what's wrong."

"So that's it?"

            Her silence answered his questioning look without words and suddenly the anger that he had been keeping in check bubbled over, spilling out with his words as he stood up from the couch.

"Well that's just fine.  I guess once your career developed it took over your life.  No room for the expendable things now Dana."

"That's not fair Shane," she began but her heart wasn't in the argument and he knew it.

"Fair? Don't give me fair.  Do you think it was fair that I haven't seen my girlfriend in so long? That while you were swanning off with _that_ _Fox_ in Oregon I was here worried about you?"

"Shane-," she began but he cut her off with a wave of his hand.

"No Dana, don't patronise me with platitudes of friendship and apologies.  Lets just leave it."  He walked over to the door and looked back to her for a moment.  "Have a good one Dana, and I hope you get everything you need from this guy seeing as there is no room for anyone else in your life now."

            He left her apartment with a slam of the door and she slumped back into the couch, her anger only diffused by the welcoming sense of relief that washed over her.  She rinsed her cup and went to bed wanting nothing more than to wake up to a new day a clean slate and start again.

***

            _The Fox_ slammed his apartment door with more gusto than he hoped and glanced back to make sure it was still connected to its hinges.  After all the times it had been kicked in he was surprised it was still there.  He ripped off his coat and threw it to the floor as he loosened his tie and opened the top two buttons of his shirt.  He grabbed the phone from the table and angrily punched in her number, before he realised how late it was.  Her quick answer told him she wasn't sleeping either and he briefly wondered if her recent transfer to the X-Files division was tampering with her regular sleep patterns.

"Scully, it's me," he said as if he needed no further introduction.  "I haven't been able to sleep," he offered feebly as an excuse for the late call.  He could make out a soft rustling of her sheets as she moved on the bed.  "I talked to the D.A's office in Raymond County Oregon.  There's no case file on Billy Miles.  The paperwork we filed is gone," he said and she could hear the desperation in his voice.  "We need to talk Scully."

"Y…yes…tomorrow."

            He clicked off the phone and threw it onto the chair across the room.  His cheeks puffed out as he took a deep breath and pushed the air past his lips in a heavy sigh.  Lying his head back onto the couch he let his eyes close and pressed the heal of the hands into his sockets to rub them vigorously.

            Part of him relaxed.  The part that urged him to call her again, to hear her voice.  The part that counted the hours down until she'd grace his office with her curious smile and bid him good morning.  The part that was so grateful for her honesty and respect and the part that was already starting to trust her.

            He let his head fall onto the arm rest and lifted his legs to the other side as he leaned into the unfamiliar sensation of relief and waited for the night to pass, meeting it with a yawn.

**I know there wasn't huge amount of MSR in this but it's the first time they met so…give me a break!  Anyway I've been saving it up for a different piece I started last week and I hope to start posting soon.  Thanks for reading (she said shyly, scuffing her shoe on the wooden floor beneath her, not quite meeting them with her eyes) **


End file.
